Space...

...to work and play.

In the 21st century on a horribly overcrowded planet and in Europe, where layer upon layer of time and building has closed down the sky and too many people are crowded into geographic proximity, excess living space feels like the ultimate luxury to me. This being the case, I'm very fortunate because, for now at least, I have plenty of it. I've lived in several tiny places and there's something very satisfying about being able to live well in a compact space. But oh, the joy of having space to spare... I enjoy that SO much. I have this whole extra room in my apartment that I use for both work and play and that I love. It's not grand. The furniture is cheap Ikea stuff and it's always in need of a bit of tidying up but being in here makes me very happy. Because it's extra space. Unnecessary space. Full of things that are meaningful to me. I don't need it but having it is such a pleasure.

Standing this year in places where the sky was huge and where there was often not another person to be seen from horizon to horizon (apart sometimes from my nearest and dearest) I was struck again by how I grow and thrive in space. I love the freedom it represents. I could breathe. I could move.

Space to work and to play - a luxury? I've been thinking about this in the less physical sense as well - about having space to breathe and move mentally and emotionally, to think and dream and explore and plan and grow and do, and just to be.

Space to do good work and space to play, creatively, freely... This often seems like a luxury too. Finding the space for all that can be a challenge and, in my experience, what tends to get squeezed out if there's not enough are the good bits.

Reflecting on this past year, where I experienced both states - the over-crowded and the space-to-spare state - has reminded me of how this is actually less about luxury and more about what's essential to good living for me. To a good life. Having more physical space is definitely a luxury. Having mental and emotional space is something I need. And so I have to be conscious about finding it. Creating it. Appreciating it. Enjoying it. Protecting it. Filling it (or at least some of it) with good work and good play.

I thought for a while that my word for 2013 was going to be fly (verb not insect!), which is a good word and I hope there's lots of it to come, but I've decided at the last minute that it's space instead. Because without space, no flying can occur.

Farewell 2012. You've been a strange and amazing year.

♡